lil ليل
Algerian Darja · noun
“lil” (ليل) is a noun in Algerian Darja meaning night.
Meanings
- night
- at night, during the night (adverbial)
Usage
Lil means night, as opposed to nhar (day). With the article, one says el-lil: "fel-lil" or "bel-lil" means "at night, during the night". Without a preposition, el-lil can also serve as an adverb: "nsehrou el-lil kamel" (we stay up all night). To wish someone good night, one rather says "tesbah 3la khir". The word is neutral and used in all registers. Watch the spelling: online, "lil" can also refer to the city of Lille or correspond to the preposition "l" followed by the article.
Example
ما رقدتش الليل كامل
ma rqedtch el-lil kamel
“I didn't sleep all night.”
How to write it in Latin letters
In Arabizi, Darija written in Latin letters, you will find “lil” but also “llil”, “lile” and “leil”. No spelling is official: people write the sounds as they hear them.
Type “lil” on the Arabic keyboard
In Moroccan Darija
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Moroccan Darija, where it means “night (period)”: lil in Moroccan.
In Tunisian Derja
Spelt the same way in Arabic, the word also exists in Tunisian Derja, where it means “night”; “evening, night-time”: lil in Tunisian.